Rather than an expensive floral bridal bouquet, you might want to consider a new look that is becoming very, very popular – the brooch bouquet. This alternative for brides who want to avoid carrying flowers can be something fun to have created. Many brides raid their grandmother’s jewelry box to find the perfect heirloom pieces to be included. Classic pearls, sapphires, cascading gold – just about anything can be used.

At our January 27th,2019 My Dream Wedding Show at The Christy Banquet Center in O’Fallon, Missouri, you will want to visit with Jo Ann of I Do Brooch Bouquet (http://www.idobroochbouquets.net). She’s coming from Virginia with an exceptional assortment of amazing brooch bouquets. What’s super great about this company is that you will deal directly with the designer, Jo Ann. She will coordinate your “CUSTOM” look, color and style through email, text, and phone consultation. Let Jo Ann create an heirloom bouquet that will last forever!

7 Different Ways to Add a Unique Touch to Your Wedding using locally sourced flowers and floral elements.

Flowers are a key component to any wedding décor. The Color, Texture, and Smell – all combine to add to the intimacy of the day. Yes, you and your bridesmaids will carry bouquets, but there are so many additional ways to add the romantic feel of flowers and nature to your event. To keep the costs in line, look around you. What is naturally growing in the park. What is native to our area? Moss and vines, river rock, ferns, berries and foliage in winter combined with other flowers and décor elements, can be super elegant and beautiful. Here are some ideas that you might wish to incorporate in your décor.

Create a signature drink and add a small floral bloom.

Incorporate Garlands with draping and simple white bows to define an area.

Centerpieces can be more than just flower arrangements. Add a touch of wood and/or light with lanterns to add a bit of glamour.

Make a Floral Backdrop for an outdoor wedding.

Use a floral garland to decorate your cake.

Decorate Your Head Table with a beautiful garland of flowers and candles.

Decorate a trellis to create a beautiful ceremony site. (This is great for outdoor weddings!)

And, one more, decorate the back of the Mr. & Mrs. Chair with more than a bow.

Your bridal bouquet is a keepsake that should be carefully selected. What flowers should you include in your bouquet? What color or shapes work best with your theme and dress? Should you select a cascade arrangement or a hand-tied bouquet? So, if you are totally unprepared to work with your florist, here are some suggestions to help you when ordering your bouquet.

The design of the bouquet should complement your dress, not drown you or hide the silhouette. Do not opt for a trailing bouquet if the detail of your dress is on the front lower portion, but if you have a long train or bustle at the back of your dress you might want to balance the look with a more dramatic bouquet. Also, don’t hide your waist – make sure your bouquet is much narrower than your waist.

Choose flowers that are in season to control costs.

Wedding dresses today are sometimes ivory or cream, so take a swatch along if you have it to choose the perfect shade and exact color of your flowers.

If you have a family heirloom such as an antique brooch, work that into the bouquet.

Romantic hair wreaths are one of my favorite new trends that you see more and more. It’s a great alternative for an offbeat bride who cares for something fresh and youthful for her wedding. It’s especially good for that “organic” garden style wedding in an open meadow or backyard. Couple your wreath with a casual relaxed dress, perhaps some ruffles and soft flounces, and then add a pair of comfortable sandals.

We like these wreaths because they are cute, ultra feminine and very couture-like. Fresh flowers and herbs available during the summer months offer a huge selection of colors, flowers, and styles. You could also add some twigs, vines, cherry blossoms, and berries. Make it small and delicate or create a more whimsical style. And circular wreaths symbolize marriage – a complete circle.

Wedding flowers are one of the most important decor items on your list. While there are plenty of ways to crunch numbers on your wedding budget, your floral budget is not one of them. In this blog I hope to explain why professional wedding florists charge what they do.

Quality

If you are looking for quality flowers, not just a random grocery store bouquet or bruised flowers of a low grade quality, you will need to pay more. Professional, high end wedding florists source their flowers from the best growers worldwide who in turn need to be compensated for growing, processing, packaging and shipping the flowers in perfect condition direct from their farms to wholesalers. Flowers arrive from Holland, South Africa, South America, California, Florida and Italy just to name a few. It is also worthwhile to note that individual flower costs vary. If flowers are rarer, harder to grow or have limited growing seasons they are often more expensive.

Experience

Most professional florists specializing in weddings will have invested in formal studies and/or paid workshops to hone their skill and technique. It takes years to master the skill of floral design. Wedding florists provide a unique floral creation that is made individually by hand for you.

Time

A huge amount of time is required. First, there is the initial consultation, then numerous emails to revise the floral proposal/quote, then time for sending the contract. Then you need to add the time involved in ordering the proper quantity of flowers. Several days before the wedding actually happens your florist receives your flowers and has to process each flower by hand, making sure leaves and thorns are trimmed off. Each flower needs to be properly cut and placed in a bucket of water with the correct amount of floral preservative so that they hydrate properly to look their best on your wedding day. After the flowers are hydrated there are hours of work that go into separating the flowers for each arrangement and creating each bouquet, boutonniere, corsage, flower crown, centerpiece…you get the picture; all of which is done by hand.

There is the time that goes into boxing and preparing the flowers for pick up or delivery, which also needs to be accounted for. There are delivery and set up fees to help cover the time and staffing needs of your professional florist. They need to deliver the flowers to your event and successfully unload and set the flowers in their proper place before the ceremony and reception begin. You need someone who is reliable and knows how to unpack a centerpiece correctly and who will show up on time to your event; someone who makes sure everything looks amazing before you and your guests arrive.

White Bridal Bouquet – BrideStLouis.com

Quality, experience and time are all things to remember when booking your wedding florist. It is also important to keep in mind what you are comparing when you receive quotes from various floral designers. Are they offering the exact same design? Most likely not. Read carefully for sizing of centerpieces listed in the proposals and the list of flowers each florist intends to include in your bridal bouquet for example. If one florist is quoting on expensive orchids for the bouquet while another is quoting on baby’s breath there will be a large discrepancy between the two.

It is important as well to choose a wedding florist who understands your floral vision and has a floral style that fits with it. Of course your wedding florist can provide ideas for staying within your budget but other times they may not be able to accommodate a lower budget with the floral requirements you are asking of them.

To find ways to cut your costs you need to understand what makes bridal bouquets and floral arrangements so expensive. There are several factors that affect the price of your flowers.

Flower Types –

The choice of flower can make a big difference. To save money choose flowers such as carnations or daisies that are more easily obtained. Bird of Paradise and other exotic flowers will cost a lot more as they are not readily available.

Season –

Flowers have growing seasons, and if you buy in-season, you can save money. For example, tulips are readily available in Spring, but definitely a challenge in December. December has beautiful poinsettias in holiday shades of red, pink, and white that can make a real splash for your winter wedding.

Size –

The number of flowers in any arrangement will affect your final price. A single bloom or very few blooms of a larger type of flower may cut down the cost of the bouquet, or a bouquet that consists of just one or two types of flower could also be cost effective.

Detail –

A simple bouquet is less expensive. Anytime you add intricate detail or multi-layered for a cascading bouquet look for the price to go up. A great idea to add volume and detail for a more elegant dimension is to add baby’s breath, ferns or other type of greenery.

Choices –

There are other options available as well. If a beautiful bridal bouquet is important to you, keep the other floral items minimized. For instance, the boutonnieres can be just berries or greens, the flower girl can throw paper petals, and the corsages for other family members can be a more diminutive size.